WCW World Championship Wrestling– October 6, 1990

- Jim Ross and Bob Caudle are on hand to call all the action, unless otherwise noted. We'll see highlights from Chicago, as well as an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW from Gordon Solie with The Black Scorpion. Jim Ross will be talking with Ric Flair and Arn Anderson. The Nasty Boys take on the Southern Boys. Stan Hansen, Renegade Warriors, and MORE in action.

- WCW is brought to you by the TurboGrafx-16. All matches are taped from the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, GA on September 24th. No, the Big Boss Man didn't attend.

The Renegade Warriors vs. The Ring Lords:

This is introduced as a "Preview Match", whatever the hell that means. I decide at random on these shows from 1990 and I get stuck out of the gate with a Renegade Warriors match, and not just any match, their DEBUT match. I guess that's what "Preview Match" means? This is the WCW equivalent of having to recap The Bushwhackers or another gimmick I absolutely can't stand. If seems too fitting for me to go on a tangent right out of the gate, but if you've ever seen Mark and Chris Youngblood wrestle, you know how bad they are. The Warriors cut an inset promo on the Fabulous Freebirds, challenging them to a match for "what they did to their friend, Allen Iron Eagle." Lockup and Mark takes over Lord #1 with an arm drag. You think I'm being lazy? JIM ROSS CALLS HIM RING LORD #1! Whip and we get some sloppy double-team work from the Warriors. Lord #2 tags in and awkwardly leans into an arm drag. Lord #2 with a shoulder tackle, but he misses an elbow drop. Whip and the Warriors with a double boot. Mark with a slam and jumping leg drop. Chris comes off the middle rope with a double axe-handle and takes Lord #2 over with a double under-hook suplex. Whip and a double chop for two. Whip and dropkick for two. Chris with a big boot and seated splash for two. Mark hooks Lord #2 in a back slide and Chris chops him from the top rope for three at 5:24. I still can't get over the lazy lack of naming of the Ring Lords (and to be honest, Ross and Caudle barely acknowledged which Youngblood was which).

- Michael Hayes cuts a promo (wearing a ridiculous amount of make-up), making fun of the Native Americans. We segue to a vignette of the Fabulous Freebirds living the Freebird life-style. The "Tour of the Stars Homes" allegedly includes Roseanne Barr, Eddie Murphy, HOMER SIMPSON, and of course, "the greatest rock n' roll band of all time", The Fabulous Freebirds.

- Gordon Solie is standing by with the "Wrestling Wrap Up." Last week, Sting was being interviewed by Jim Ross, but the Black Scorpion came to ringside, as well as Flyin' Brian. Then another segue to the SPECIAL INTERVIEW with the Black Scorpion. Solie interviewed the Black Scorpion while blind-folded. He calls it the most demeaning thing he's been through (come on, Black Scorpion wasn't THAT bad... oh, he means the blind-fold). Scorpion says Gordon is the only person, besides Sting, who's been this close to him. He wants Sting to be driven mad. At one time, he and Sting knew each other well. He tells Gordon to ask about Tulsa. First, he mentions California, now Tulsa. Sid is after Sting's belt, but he's after Sting's soul. That's a change from when he originally said "life."

The Juicer vs. Barry Horowitz:

Juicer only debuted on World Championship Wrestling a week earlier, an comes to the ring with some kids. The Juicer is Art Barr, more well known regionally in the Pacific Northwest and later in Mexico before passing away in 1994. How weird is it to see Horowitz working as an enhancement talent for WCW before the Monday Night Wars? Horowitz works the arm as Ross and Caudle run down some upcoming NWA events. Juicer springboards off the top rope and picks the leg. He takes Horowitz with an arm drag and hooks the arm-bar. Horowitz gets some offense before being laid out with a short clothesline. Whip to the ropes and Juicer with a knee across the back of the head. Whip and Juicer with a dropkick. He goes to the top rope ("it's showtime!) and hits a flying Thesz Press for three at 3:09. Ross mentions Juicer is only 18 or 19, but he was really 24 at the time. Ignoring Barr's talent, the Juicer looks second-rate, even compared to low-level gimmicks the WWF produced at the time (Saba Simba, anyone?).

- Bob Caudle interviews Stan Hansen in front of the most obvious green-screen possible. He's looking for Lex Luger, but he's not scheduled to compete tonight. Hansen says he better show up at Halloween Havoc or he's a yellow dog.

J.W. Storm vs. Scott Allen:

I honestly have little to say about Storm. He wasn't involved in any storylines and left before year's end. Allen comes off the ropes for a shoulder tackle and gets knocked on his ass. Storm knocks him down with a boot and pounds away in the corner. Whip to the ropes and Storm with an elbow for an arrogant cover that only nets him a two-count. Back drop and again he only pins Allen with one hand. Whip and Storm with the world's sloppiest back breaker for a third one-handed cover. Whip and a hooking clothesline got the three count at 1:41. Post-match, he knocks Allen silly with a right-hand. I don't even have anything snarky to say, he's very bland to look at and his work was nothing special.

- Cameras were in Chicago for the contract signing for Sting vs. Sid Vicious at Halloween Havoc. Sid says this is Sting's death warrant and he'll find out why Sid Vicious rules the world. Later in the night, Sting was trying to unmask the Black Scorpion (it ended up being a fake), but Sid Vicious attacked him from behind with a weak chair shot, followed by a sloppy piledriver. A Powerbomb on the chair would've looked more impressive. We cut to a promo from Sid, who says he'll be the next Champion of the World™.

The Rock ‘n' Roll Express vs. Jeff Stone & Bill Ford:

WCW really had a deep tag team roster. I'd completely forgotten the Express were still kicking around in the Fall of 1990. Robert Gibson would injure his leg bad enough to miss about 8-months of action shortly after this date. Ford rakes the eyes of Morton and pounds away in the corner. Whip is reversed, and Morton quickly takes control. Gibson takes Stone over with a pair of arm drags and goes to work with a wrist-lock. The Rock ‘n' Roll Express are scheduled to meet The Midnight Express at Halloween Havoc. Whip and Morton with a dropkick. He snaps Stone over with a suplex and goes back to the arm. Ford tags back in and picks up where Stone left off. "Scrap Iron" Ford has enough and tags Stone back in. Gibson wins a slugfest and OH MY GOD, Stone ran the ropes worse than I think I've ever seen anyone ever do it. Why is this match still going? Morton with the O'Conner Roll for three at 4:50. Yawner. I like that the slow-motion highlight is Gibson calling a spot in one of the jobber's ears.

"The Lariat" Stan Hansen vs. Pablo Crenshaw:

This better be short. Crenshaw's left knee is heavily bandaged. Hansen attacks in the corner, takes Crenshaw over with a snap mare, and drops a pair of sloppy elbows. This match screams "uncooperative behavior". Hansen with a series of headbutts to knock Crenshaw down to the canvas. Whip and Hansen with a Lariat for three at 1:19. Yep, that was short. Sloppy as hell, too. A match like this would never be considered acceptable on WWF television.

Flyin' Brian vs. Tony Burton:

We're not even half-way through the show and we're onto our 6th squash match. I'm not as polished with WCW as I am with WWF, but it feels like Pillman was often doing nothing but filling a spot on the mid-card. Ross talks up Pillman coming to Sting's aid in his confrontation with Sid and the BLACK SCORPION. Pillman with a monkey flip and Burton complains about a hair-pull. Snap mare and elbow drop for two. "The Cincinnati Bengals are having a great season." Nice to know, Jim. Stan Hansen joins the commentary asking where Lex Luger is. Pillman with a shoulder tackle, hip toss, and dropkick. Burton rakes the eyes and back. WHAT A HEEL. Whip to the corner and he meets a double boot. Pillman with an elbow from the second rope for two. Snap mare into the arm-bar. I'm all for an occasional competitive squash match, but I prefer WWF's style of 2-minutes or less in almost all cases. Whip and Pillman with a diving elbow for two. Burton goes to the eyes again and pounds away. Pillman ducks a clothesline and hits a standing spinning heel kick. He takes Burton over with a back drop and finishes with the flying body press at 4:00.

- Halloween Havoc '90 Promo. They sneak El Gigante into the montage, along with the headliners in action (Sting, Sid, Steiner Brothers, and Doom).

The Southern Boys vs. The Nasty Boys:

The Nasty Boys (Knobbs and Sags) are scheduled to face the Steiner Brothers at Halloween Havoc. Tracy Smothers and Steve Armstrong are the Southern Boys, dressed as members of the confederate army and waving the rebel flag. Knobbs and Smothers start. SMOTHERS attacks from behind, then knocks Sags off the apron with a Super-Kick. Knobbs misses wildly, and Smothers unloads with rights. He takes both Nasties over with arm drags and Armstrong comes off the top with a double clothesline. Synchronized dropkicks clear the ring. Ross hypes "The Main Event" tomorrow night with Flyin' Brian and Allen Iron Eagle facing the Freebirds. Back inside, Knobbs unloads with forearms. Sags plants him with a slam but misses an elbow. Armstrong gets caught on the wrong side of town, but regains control, working the arm of Knobbs. Whip and Smothers with a slingshot boot to the chest. Whip to the corner, Smothers with a hip toss, and a dropkick knocks Knobbs to the floor, again. We come back from commercial, with Sags cranking a headlock on Armstrong. Crisscross and Armstrong with a dropkick before going back to work on the arm. Knobbs with a cheap shot from the apron to finally turn the tide. Sags dumps Armstrong over the top rope, but the referee didn't see it. Sags blocks a sunset flip and drives a fist into the forehead. Hangman's neck breaker for two. Knobbs with a whip and elbow. He lures Smothers into the ring, opening the door for more illegal double-teaming. Armstrong teases a comeback but meets a boot in the corner. They take the action to the floor, with Sags planting Armstrong with a slam. Knobbs misses the slingshot avalanche, allowing Smothers to get the hot tag. He runs wild on both Nasty Boys. Whip and a double diving shoulder tackle to Knobbs, followed by a double dropkick on Sags. Sags with a shot from the apron, allowing Knobbs to plant Smothers with a slam. Sags with the flying elbow drop for three at 11:04 (shown). Why were the Nasty Boys so bad in their WWF run when they clearly could go, at least at the level of their opponents? Good match. ***

- The Steiner Brothers and Nasty Boys signed a contract in Chicago, the same card where Sting and Sid signed theirs. Seriously, TWO CONTRACT SIGNINGS ON ONE NIGHT? Even WWE doesn't do that today, considering their obsession with the gimmick. To the surprise of nobody, chaos erupted when the Nasty Boys hit the Steiner's with their own US Tag Team Titles and laid a beating on them afterwards, including putting Scott through a table!

The State Patrol vs. Reno Riggins & Tim Parker:

Yes, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker and Lt. James Earl Wright get to squash people. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?! How sad is it? Where were they ranked on the Top Ten Tag Teams? UNRANKED. Non-existent teams were deemed more important than them. Parker is probably best known as one of WCW's Power Plant trainers. Riggins and Wright fight over a hammer-lock until Wright cradles him for two. Riggins out-maneuvers Wright on the canvas and takes him over with a pair of arm drags. Parker comes in and works Parker over... wait, PARKER VS PARKER? GOD DAMMIT, WCW. Buddy Lee gets worked over by the enhancement talent. The State Patrol have zero heat. Wright plants Riggins with a power-slam and assists Parker in dropping an elbow for a two-count. Modified Demolition Decapitator. State Patrol are a "sleeper team that are better than their win-loss record suggests." Parker with a slingshot clothesline to the back of Riggins' head. Whip and a battering ram. Great, ripping off the Bushwhackers, too. Riggins keeps bumping like a champ as the match drags on. T.P tags back in to run wild for a few seconds, including a butt-ugly dropkick to Sgt. Buddy Lee. Wright lays him out with a swinging neck breaker, and they finish with a suplex/flying body press at 5:12. I forgot the State Patrol gimmick is writing tickets for their fallen opponents, as if they won enough to be worth remembering.

- Trucker Norm is standing by "from his corner". It's Mike Shaw telling us that Halloween Havoc is coming up soon and that kids should wear bright colors when trick-or-treating. Yes, this was dumb, and yes, it's still 50-times better than Friar Ferguson or Bastion Booger.

Terry Taylor vs. Gil Cannatella:

Taylor isn't too far removed from his final days in the WWF, where he was the laughing-stock of wrestling as "The Red Rooster." Cannatella looks ridiculously out of shape and could pass for Vince Russo's dead-beat father. Lockup and Taylor with a hip toss. Once again, the scrub complains about a hair-pull. Taylor easily escapes a hammer-lock but takes an elbow on the chin. Taylor is ranked #7, if you didn't know. Taylor with a hip toss out of the corner, followed by a short-arm clothesline. Cannatella (what an annoying name to spell) with shoulders to the midsection. Taylor sends him to the corner, follows in with a clothesline, and comes off the ropes with the FIVE-ARM for three at 1:53. Yet the State Patrol squash goes over 5-minutes. The slow-motion shows the finisher barely make contact. Because WCW.

- Highlights of Doom taking out Arn Anderson (the rest of the Horsemen were nowhere to be seen). Interesting they are pushing a heel vs. heel program, although Doom is doing a slow-burn babyface turn that hasn't fully developed, yet. Teddy Long cuts a promo about celebrating what the Soul Brothers did to Anderson.

- Jim Ross is standing by for comments from Ric Flair and Arn Anderson. Anderson says they caught him with his pants down. They want to play dirty, but they're the dirtiest players in the game. One month ago, they had no interest in the tag titles, but Reed and Simmons came knocking, wanting to see how good they were. All they did was fuel a fire that can't be put out. They're the Horsemen, and they've been jumping on people since Day 1. Flair says we'll find out if Doom is ready to walk the aisle and if they're prepared to go to school.

Moondog Rex vs. Keith Hart:

Keith is not related to the Hart Family we all know and scratch our heads about with their curious behavior over the years. The ring announcer only introduces Rex as "Moondog." Is the job THAT HARD? Rex chases Hart out of the ring with the bone in his hand. Lockup into the ropes and Rex with clubbering forearms. Crisscross and Hart with shoulder tackles, followed by a dropkick. Rex catches him off the ropes with a gorilla press and blatantly drops him across the top rope in what should've been a DQ. He whips Hart into the post and press slams him onto the floor. Back inside, Rex with a Samoan drop for three at 2:02. Rex looks rough, but he at least put on a unique squash.

Allen Iron Eagle vs. Chuck Coats:

Coats is introduced from Durham, NC... I don't know why I pointed that out, either. Lockup into the corner and they engage in a slugfest where half the strikes miss. Eagle with a back drop, an awful dropkick, and arm drag into the arm-bar. Stan Hansen again joins commentary asking about the whereabouts of Lex Luger. They botch something that can best be described as a back-drop attempt. Coats with a slam and elbow drop. Eagle recovers in time to slam Coats off the top rope and hooks an Indian Death Lock for the victory at 2:06. Seriously, the Native American's finisher is the INDIAN DEATH LOCK. Not good. Eagle wasn't long for the wrestling world, and for good reason (he stunk).

- Jim Ross is standing by with Gordon Solie, talking about the interview he conducted with the Black Scorpion. Some might question the goofy angle and Solie going along with it, but he's called plenty of bizarre stuff with Kevin Sullivan (among others) in years prior.

Arn Anderson vs. James Peterson:

Anderson is the reigning TV Champion, but this is obviously a Non-Title Match. It's amazing that Anderson, a full-blown heel, cut a fired up promo that could be considered a baby-face promo. Anderson takes Peterson down and stomps away as Eaton cuts an inset promo on Sid Vicious. No, I had no idea what he said. Anderson with a hammerlock and knees into the elbow. Arn with a hammerlock slam and knee across the chest. He applies a step-over wrist-lock, a hold you don't see very often. Arn punishes the arm like his paycheck depends on it. Ross says this is Anderson sending an obvious message to the Tag Team of Doom. Anderson with a slingshot underneath the bottom rope. The DDT FINALLY finishes the poor bastard at 4:27.

- Missy Hyatt is standing by to promote NWA Main Event tomorrow night at 6:05. Paul E. Dangerously will have Arn Anderson and Ric Flair on The Danger Zone.

- Stan Hansen rants about Luger being a coward, but as the program comes to an end, Ross is informed Lex Luger has pulled into the building. SO LONG FOLKS!

Final Thoughts: After watching nearly 4-years of WWF content in my Flashback Reviews (Exclusively on Da' Board), I must say WCW's overall presentation is second rate. The lighting is sub-par, the ring announcer seemed second rate, and whoever picked the slow-motion highlights clearly wasn't paying too close attention. There's still some decent stuff, though. WCW's roster was considerably better than WWF's when it came to in-ring quality, and they're trying their best to hype Halloween Havoc and the infamous Black Scorpion. 12 matches, only 1 that isn't a squash or enhancement vs. enhancement match, is a little too much, but filling 2-hours is difficult when you aren't giving away a bunch of PPV quality matches.